Job description
NovaForge Industries is seeking a hands-on Industrial Production Manager to lead day-to-day manufacturing operations in Detroit, MI. This role focuses on maximizing throughput, ensuring safety, and upholding quality across multiple production lines.
As the operations leader on the shop floor, you will champion continuous improvement, manage staffing and equipment utilization, and partner with engineering, QA, and supply chain to meet customer demand with world-class efficiency. You will also mentor supervisors, enforce standardized work, and ensure compliance with safety and quality standards.
Responsibility
- Lead production scheduling, line balancing, and takt-time adherence to meet daily and weekly targets.
- Drive Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement projects to reduce waste and improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
- Enforce safety, environmental, and quality policies across all shifts and maintain regulatory compliance.
- Manage front-line supervisors, develop talent, and foster a high-performance culture with clear accountability.
- Monitor KPIs, analyze data, prepare management reports, and present results to leadership.
- Oversee maintenance planning, spare parts management, and equipment reliability to minimize unplanned downtime.
- Collaborate with Engineering and Quality for new product introductions and process validations.
- Optimize capacity and material flow to meet customer demand and lead times.
Qualification
- Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
- 5+ years of production management experience in a manufacturing environment.
- Strong knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Proficiency with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and MES.
- Demonstrated leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
- Experience with safety programs and ISO 9001 quality systems.
- Ability to analyze data, generate actionable plans, and drive results.
- Familiarity with PLCs, automation, and process instrumentation is a plus.